Annie Hall: Key Facts

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Full title: Annie Hall

Director: Woody Allen

Lead Cast: Woody Allen as Alvy Singer, Diane Keaton as Annie Hall, Tony Roberts as Rob

Supporting Cast: Carol Kane, Paul Simon, Janet Margolin, Shelley Duvall, Christopher Walken, Colleen Dewhurst

Writers: Woody Allen and Marshall Brickman

Producer: Rollins-Joffe Productions

Genre: Romantic comedy

Language: English

Date of release: 1977

Awards & Nominations

1978 Academy Awards

Nominee: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Actress, Best Actor

Winner: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Actress (Diane Keaton)

Setting (time & Place) Primarily New York City (with a few scenes in Los Angeles and in Wisconsin) in the late 1970s

Foreshadowing: Alvy’s opening monologue foreshadows the troubles he’s about to reveal about his life; Annie’s first nightclub performance foreshadows her eventual move to L.A. to pursue her singing career; Annie’s lack of interest in sex hints at future relationship troubles.

Major conflict: Alvy struggles with himself and his past in a quest to pinpoint the cause of his breakup with Annie Hall and the reason for his failure to succeed in romantic relationships with women.

Rising action: Alvy flashes back to moments in his childhood and episodes in his relationships with Annie and his two ex-wives in a psychoanalytic attempt to explain his breakup with Annie.

Climax: Alvy and Annie’s trip to Los Angeles solidifies the growing rift between them: Annie is intrigued by the energy and newness of L.A., while Alvy can do nothing but criticize it.

Falling action: Annie follows her singing career to L.A., while Alvy can’t wait to return to the safety of his home city. Ultimately, they agree that their relationship is a “dead shark” and should end.